Fieldwork the BANGLADESH PYTHON PROJECT GOOGLE EARTH COORDINATES HERE

70 Fieldwork THE BANGLADESH PYTHON PROJECT GOOGLE EARTH COORDINATES HERE INSIDEINSIDE THETHE WILDSWILDS OFOF LAWACHARALAWACHARA Volunteers from all over the world join in a yearly field workshop to help conserve the extraordinary biodiversity of a National Park. And you can be one of them 71 The Asian Forest Tortoise Manouria emys phayrei is one of 25 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises found in Bangladesh - almost 10% of the global diversity of chelonians. Unfortunately, 18 of these, including this M. emys, are threatened with extinction. On the title page, a juvenile Burmese Python Python molurus bivittatus. 72 TEXT AND PHOTOS BY SCOTT TRAGESER eep inside the Indo-Burma India, and Bangladesh, these dedicated Dbiodiversity hotspot lays a hidden jewel volunteers came for ten days to lend a with a unique and diverse confluence of hand surveying the area and to learn wildlife: Lawachara National Park. This about the research and techniques incredible region is still relatively involved with the Project. unexplored by researchers, meaning that many of its cryptic denizens still In July of 2013, Caesar and I implanted remain to be acknowledged by science. radio-transmitters into three Burmese In a recent exploration of the Park under Pythons Python bivitattus to track this the purview of the Bangladesh Python locally endangered species’ movements Project, an independent research effort, and to learn how they are utilizing the some new light was shed on a few of human-altered landscape of Lawachara these rare and novel creatures. As one National Park. Many of the pythons could expect, during these surveys many have home ranges that occur in healthy other charismatic creatures were forest but also overlap with tea encountered and subsequently plantations and even villagers’ photographed; all in an effort to backyards. This poses a problem if we showcase the importance of maintaining are going to help increase their numbers the protection that the park offers to its in the park. Villagers don’t respond well many endangered hosts. to pythons eating their chickens and ducks, and won’t hesitate to elevate the Caesar Rahman, a Dhaka resident and value of their livelihoods over that of the rising conservationist, is the head snakes’. It also poses an interesting herpetological researcher working in question for the project: how exactly are Lawachara. With the help of CARINAM, the pythons utilizing this ever-changing he has become a hero for its scaly, oft- and ever-diminishing landscape? The overlooked residents. As with all most important data we hope to acquire research though, time and money is is their day-to-day and seasonal needed to make progress, and securing movement patterns. This is what we these necessities can be the most need to know in order to determine what challenging part. This is where the environmental factors the pythons participants of the “Bangladesh Python require so that one day the villagers can Project Workshop” come to the rescue. peacefully co-exist with these apex Heralding from Australia, America, predators. A beautiful juvenile Bengal Monitor Lizard Varanus bengalensis - continued on page 75 a common lizard, yet seldom seen due to its quick and alert nature. › 73 A portrait of what is possibly one of the rarest inhabitants of the Sundarbans, the Northern River Terrapin Batagur baska. None have been observed in the wild for several years but during our surveys in the coming summers, hopefully this will change. Notice the mosquito coming in for a landing! 74 One of Bangladesh’s most adorable creatures: the beautifully marked Phayre’s Leaf-monkey Trachypithecus phayrei, a denizen of the forest canopy. 75 A similar question also applies to the upon a new python whilst routinely Elongated Tortoise Indotestudo elongata, tracking one of our transmittered which the project has recently expanded individuals. Unfortunately we to include. Very few of these tortoises still discovered that this python had been exist in the park and, like the python, are relocated by the forest department a still considered a delicacy for many few months prior after rescuing it from a villagers. Though, thanks to the property some distance away. With a educational outreach efforts of Caesar’s limited number of transmitters available team, the locals in the surrounding to use, we have to be picky about which villages are slowing beginning to snakes we track. In this case Caesar understand the importance of coexisting decided to only insert a less costly PIT with these animals. The word was tag, as her habits would not be the quickly spread that we were looking for same as a resident python’s and thusly tortoises and with a little bit of luck, not as useful to the python study. If we Caesar got a call that a child in the encounter her again though, the PIT tag village of Baghmara had found one right will tell us exactly who she is and data before our team was to arrive. Two other can still be taken. tortoises from a nearby forest were also saved from the soup pots of a rural Ten days in the jungle can take its toll on market in order to test the feasibility of a you so we end the workshop with a translocation effort. Mortality rates can leisurely boat ride down the legendary be high when relocating reptiles but Sundarbans: the world’s largest fortunately, our introductions have gone mangrove system. Three days of better than anticipated with every normally cost-prohibitive birding, individual surviving, sans one poaching mammaling, and herping accompanied victim. Health of the animals was by good food and good company. obviously a concern, thus the introduced tortoises were thoroughly checked to As the workshop is an annual event, ensure no diseases were being brought every summer there are several in. Along with radio-tracking, daily opportunities for enthusiastic individuals forest surveys were conducted to to lend their hand at helping to save the discover what treasures the forest had in herpetofauna of Bangladesh. If this store for us. interests you, spots for June are still available so please don’t hesitate to Towards the end of our expedition, one contact Scott Trageser at of the locally hired trackers stumbled [email protected]. Finding Elongated tortoises Indotestudo elongata in the forest is near- impossible without the aid of dogs or a radio transmitter such as this one. 76 One of the great classic tales of mimicry in nature belongs to Gray’s leaf insect Phyllium bioculatum. 77 Red-tailed Bamboo Pitviper Trimeresurus erythrurus are one of the more common snakes in most Asian rainforests. Normally found crossing the road after a heavy rain. 78 Smith's Leaf-litter Frogs Leptobatrachium smithi in amplexus, off to find a suitable site to deposit their eggs. 79 An Orange Blister Beetle Mylabris pustulata taking flight. Participants inserting a PIT tag in a Burmese Python Python molurus bivittatus. This Micryletta was one of two potentially new species discovered during 2014. 80 Red-tailed Bamboo Pitviper Trimeresurus erythrurus. This child in the village of Bagmara saved this tortoise from certain death. 81 Day and night, throughout the forests of Southeast Asia, one can hear Tokay Geckos Gekko gecko from hundreds of meters away calling “Tow-Kay, Tow-Kay!” 82 Ganges River Dolphins Platanista gangetica and Irrawaddy Dolphins were encountered several times during our three days in the Sundarbans. A fierce persona masks this arboreal, rear-fanged Gray Cat Snake’s Boiga siamensis Assam Snail Eaters Pareas monticola, like all Pareas, specialize on rather benign bite. eating snails and exhibit jaw adaptations to assist with the shucking. 83 The sexually dimorphic and endangered Western Hoolock Gibbon Hoolock hoolock is one of five species of primate that we see every trip. 84 Elongated Tortoises Indotestudo elongata were once very common colonists of the forest leaf-litter, but decades of unsustainable hunting has decimated their populations. .

Load more